The invention generally relates to controlling text symbol size on a display.
Text symbols are symbols which are represented by in digital text representation formats. Some examples are alphanumeric characters, numerals, punctuations, arrows and circles typically found in menus, and special characters such as mathematical symbols, the ampersand (&), the dollar sign ($), the registered trademark sign (®) and the atsign (@).
Menus provided by set-top boxes include text symbols. Additionally, more and more television content includes displayed overlays, some examples of which are tickers, sports scores, and background information about a show. In the context of a digital set-top box, the text symbols representing this content can be displayed at a default size for all presentations. A viewer having trouble seeing symbols clearly must leave the show with the overlay or the menu and navigate to another menu for changing symbol size in order to select another size from a set of limited choices (if this option is even available). This selected size will then be the size for all text subsequently displayed until changed via the text size menu.
Controlling text symbol display size responsive to a distance from a remote control to a sensor on a display unit for the display, or on a set-top box connected to the display and approximately the same distance as the display to the viewer's position (e.g. less than a foot in front or in back of the display)) would be more user friendly by allowing a viewer to adjust symbol size without leaving the context of a show or menu. This mechanism also allows the viewer to enlarge or decrease the size of the currently displayed text momentarily (e.g. the World Series scores) and then decrease or enlarge the next displayed text (e.g. the hockey scores) back to the previous size if desired.